Revised Heroic Jester

This is a revision to the one-level write-up I did for the Jester back at the beginning of April. I changed a bunch of stuff but I tried to keep the basic concept intact. The class doesn’t aim to deal damage, and literally lacks damage-dealing powers.

First thing I changed was the “Harmless Pranks” array. I nerfed Maniacal Laughter — now it’s a close burst 1 (no attack rolls) and it *only* causes enemies to grant combat advantage. I prefer to think of it as an “omni-flanking” power.

“Wild Goose Chase” was dropped and replaced with Jester’s Taunt. It’s a minor-action effect that pulls one or two enemies in a close burst 10 up to 3 squares. It’s similar to the Minstrel’s “Enticing Melody” and I fear their simultaneous use.

Classic Blunder was revised to be simpler — and now offers an effect which is essentially the Bard’s “Virtue of Cunning” feature — a feature I’ve seen used in conjunction with the Paragon-tier feat, “Agile Opportunist.” Very handy.

The Jester proved to have too many features and powers at 1st level, and so I ultimately dropped “Good Humored,” “Skill Versatility,” and “Sprightly.” Pratfall, I remade as a 5th-level feature which should prove more fun than before.

Deceptive Duelist made the cut, and remains unchanged.

The Jester’s new encounter power is inspired by the Bard’s “Fast Friends” power, which I always thought would be more effective if it could be used more than once an encounter — it’s actually a really powerful, non-damaging control spell.

Harmless Prank [Shadow, Charm]Standard action * Encounter * Ranged 5Target: One creature within range.Attack: Charisma +3 vs. WillEffect: The target cannot attack you or your allies until the end of your next turn. The effect ends if you or one of your allies attacks the target.Special: You can use this power only once per turn.

You may note the Jester uses no implements whatsoever. I kind of like that. He can hold a really dingy-looking melee weapon and then surprise enemies (“What do you mean that thing was sharpened?”) when it’s too late for them to respond.

The Jester’s 9th-level feature is a terrifying force — Tragedy of Errors causes enemies within the Jester’s Aura of Misfortune (new name for “Jester’s Aura”) to provoke opportunity attacks whenever they stand up from prone.

I’m also a fan of each of the Jester’s utility powers — and seriously, when have I ever said I’m a fan of utility powers? False Step, Just Deserts, and Last Laugh — I’ll save the surprise and let you read about them though — bon appetit!